Chapter 18: The Hollow Queen vs. The Immortal Duo

Halibel remained steady. Her left hand had caught Kakuzu's Iron-Skinned punch, while Tiburon halted Hidan's scythe. Feeling the mad priest trying to push her back, the Hollow heard the two masks open their maws.

"Great Maelstrom!"

'Oh right,' Halibel thought. 'He doesn't have to worry about damaging Hidan. Although…'

Thinking fast, Halibel suddenly stopped resisting Hidan. Unbalanced, he stumbled forward, allowing Halibel to quickly grab and switch places with him.

"SHIT!" Hidan cursed when he realized he'd become a human shield. His screaming only got louder when hit with the full brunt of Kakuzu's Jutsu.

Knowing that would only work for so long, Halibel disengaged with Sonido. Even so, she still had a few bruises just from being so close.

"Damn it Kakuzu! That hurt!" Hidan winced at his own cuts and bruises.

"Focus Hidan!" Kakuzu snapped back. His thread wings flapped him off the ground.

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Hidan threw his scythe (Kakuzu's threads having served to replace the broken bits of chain) onto the ceiling, while taking a sacrificial spike in the other hand. "I'm gonna sacrifice Hoshigaki's little bitch if it's the last thing I…AUGH!"

He didn't get to finish his rant on account of Halibel shooting a Bala at his mouth. While immensely cathartic for her, that hadn't slowed down Hidan. She noticed that the Akatsuki duo were moving towards opposite sides, probably hoping she'd devote too much focus on one of them, opening her to attack from the other.

Halibel simply flew a little higher. 'Hope the others are on their way out…'

"CASCADA!"

Hidan and Kakuzu's eyes widened at the obscene amount of water now heading right for them. The former yanked on his scythe's chain, pulling him to the wall, now standing with his Chakra. The latter flapped to the edge of the attack, hardening his entire body with Iron Skin to tank the water. 'Good thing my Earth Style makes me more resistant to water,' the miser thought.

OoOoOoO

Down below, all the others had to pause their duels. Well…most of them did. Tamatoa, Gustave, Jinbe, and Kisame weren't bothered in the least by the torrent. In fact, it just seemed to intensify their clash. Now, Jinbe and Kisame were able to use their strongest moves without pause or expending the energy in creating water.

"Water Style: Five Hungry Sharks!" Kisame slammed his palm on the water, sending his five creations to gnaw at Tamatoa's open wounds, earning a cry of pain.

"Fishman Karate: Spear Wave!" Jinbe shot the water at Gustave, right on his old wound. A single scale was dislodged, and blood began to trickle as the crocodile-man was pushed back. Gustave gave an inhuman roar as he got back up and charged.

Elsewhere, Lucci was on the verge of panicking when he saw just how much water was coming down on him. Doesn't matter how strong you get…if that much water gets on top of a Devil Fruit user, they're done…and Lucci knew it.

Grimmjow noticed the slight air of unease, and smirked at the leopard-man. "What's wrong…little kitty-cat afraid of some water?" He clawed Lucci's chest, drawing blood. The Hollow then kicked Lucci up towards Halibel's water.

"Moonwalk!" Lucci ran away from the water, heading towards a wall.

With Sonido, Grimmjow appeared right beside him, his clawed hand reaching for the man's heart. Unfortunately for him, Lucci had brought up his Haki just in time to reduce the damage to skin-level. And then, the assassin turned, his arms straight out and parallel to each other.

"SIX KING GUN!"

Grimmjow shot left at the last second. Despite that, his right arm and side were still hit hard. He paused to collect himself from the pain, only for his eyes to widen as he came to a realization. 'He wasn't aiming at me.'

Indeed, Lucci had punched a large hole through the wall that went all the way to the outside. And he was currently going through it full-speed to whatever dry land was left.

"WE'RE NOT DONE!" Grimmjow roared as he flew after Lucci.

As for the other Devil Fruit user, Brook was honestly lucky Juvia was with him.

"Water Dome!" the Wizard cried out as she managed to form a protective sphere around her remaining crewmates and the entrance.

As for the horde of animals and Grimm…there was no such protection. The raging torrent completely swept aside those that weren't already by the entrance, rendering them helpless as they flailed in the water.

"Apacci!" Silver cried out. "We need a hole!"

Knowing exactly what he meant, she lined up her cannon towards the entrance. At the same time, his Howitzer revved up.

"CERO!" BBOOOOMM!

The Reiatsu had combined with Silver's blast, cleanly carving through half the animals.

"Let's go!" Apacci barked.

Before she could lead the way though, Emerald had broken off from Tsuyu, firing off enough buckshot to make the Pro-Hero back off. As she ran down the entrance, she quickly used her Semblance on Apacci.

"What the…where'd you go, you little bitch?!" Apacci roared and began to indiscriminately fire around her.

In the chaos, one Bala shot between Nami and Compress, just before the pirate could strike his staff with her Clima-Tact. Sighing in relief, the former Villain bolted for the entrance.

"THIEF!" Nami shrieked as she spun her Clima-Tact. "Milky Road!" She hopped on the newly formed clouds, and slid her way after Compress.

Hanataro ran over to Tsu, getting her back on her feet as he healed the buckshot shrapnel with Hisagomaru. "Come on…we need to go. Juvia won't hold all that water back for long."

At the side of the entrance, water was indeed starting to trickle in, and Juvia was noticeably beginning to sweat from the effort of holding back the combined force of Halibel, Kisame, and Jinbe's water.

Getting the picture, Tsu and Hanataro moved out. Brook and Silver went next, making a point to slice the animals trying to close the hole in their ranks.

Shaking her head once the Illusion wore off, Apacci double-checked. Aside from Juvia, only Halibel, Kisame, Jinbe, Sanji, and Mirajane (along with their opponents) were left in the cavern. And the water was filling up fast...making it a choice between swimming or flying.

"Come on Juvia! We've gotta let them handle things in here," Apacci called out.

Nodding, Juvia began backing up towards the entrance, the Dome contracting as she made her way further into the tunnel. Now, the entire floor was covered in enough water to submerge whoever stood down there.

OoOoOoO

Throughout all this, Youpi had simply powered through the water that crashed down. Specifically, he blasted a small hole at the edge of the Halibel's Cascada with Rage Incarnate.

"Sky Walk!" Hearing the cry and the flap of wings, Youpi growled at the sight of Sanji and Mira tailing him.

'I can't let myself get distracted by these pests.' He quickly reminded himself of his objective. 'The chest is what we're all here for. At the very least, I need to at cut off their escape.' He grew infuriated at the thought of that thief taking it away from all those who'd fought hard for it. At the very least, in Youpi's opinion, someone who'd earned the right to take the chest should have it.

Seeing the growing hole at the top of the cavern, originally meant for just sunlight, Youpi pushed his wings to the limit. Just as he broke into the open air…

"COO!"

Hattori, with Jack holding onto his back, was wildly careening through the atmosphere, desperately trying to get rid of the monkey. In the process, they bonked onto Youpi's leg. To be honest, that collision only gave the Chimera Ant pause for a millisecond. But that was all Mira needed…

"Evil Explosion!" the Witch exclaimed.

"GAH!" The concentrated Magic had incinerated one of Youpi's wings, sending him careening towards the outside beach.

"MIRA-SWAN! That was SO SEXY!" Sanji went into his 'love-tornado' mode midair.

"Aww…you're so sweet!" Mira blushed…which looked rather odd in her Satan Soul.

Still, the two made haste in pursuing the Chimera Ant.

OoOoOoO

Inside the cavern, Hidan and Kakuzu were running along the surface of the rising water. They saw Halibel lining up her Tiburon.

"Kakuzu!" the mad priest exclaimed. "Ya got a plan yet? Way I see it…we need to get that bitch out of the air."

"I'm well aware," the miser growled through clenched teeth. "Make sure that you're there when I make her bleed."

"Hehehe," Hidan brought his scythe back to his hand. "Don't worry…I'm gonna enjoy sacrificing Hoshigaki's little harlot!"

"Good luck with that," Halibel frigidly said as she appeared right behind Hidan with Sonido. Right as the Jashinist turned around, the normally-graceful Hollow slammed an uppercut into his jaw, a sign of how much this particular opponent irritated her. She hit hard enough for the jawbone crack while the stitching started to come apart, meaning that one-half of his mouth was hanging agape by a few slivers of flesh.

Her dispassionate gaze met his absolutely infuriated one. His eyes were wild and bloodshot as he swung his scythe. She barely even turned her head as she deflected it with Tiburon.

As her white blade clashed with the red metal, Halibel saw Kakuzu pop out from the water behind her; both his masks' were opening for another 'Great Maelstrom!'

"Cero!" Halibel pointed her free hand at the miser as Tiburon knocked the red scythe aside again.

WHOOM! The Hollow's blast of Reiatsu had cancelled out Kakuzu's attack.

Seeing that as an opening, Hidan pulled out a sacrificial spike with his other hand, bringing it down towards Halibel as he imbued it with Chakra. He was not expecting to see sparks as the spike went down her skin, not even breaking it.

'Damn,' Hidan thought. 'That Hierro is probably tougher than Grimmjow's.'

At this point, the Kakuzu that had fired the first attack turned out to be a clone. The real one had swum right under Halibel's feet for a point-blank attack. The Wind Mask opened up.

"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"

Halibel stepped to the side, but she wasn't fast enough to completely avoid damage. The side of her stomach was grazed, and started to bleed.

Hidan laughed as he lunged his spike forward to get some of it.

"BALA!"

The mad priest instinctively pulled back, but was surprised when the Reiatsu wasn't shot at him. Instead, Halibel clutched it like a baseball, and pressed it to her open wound. She hissed as the wound sizzled. In a second, the wound had been completely cauterized, meaning that it wasn't bleeding anymore…despite how angry the wound looked. And the little blood from before had already been diluted as it fell into the water.

Hidan and Kakuzu both couldn't help but pause at such an extreme measure, until they came to a sudden realization. 'She knows.'

"You're not getting a single drop of blood from me," Halibel narrowed her eyes and slashed with Tiburon.

"Damn it!" Hidan cried out as he swung his scythe again to counter.

Behind the Hollow, Kakuzu had popped out from the water, his fists covered in Iron Skin.

"Guess we'll just have to kill Hoshigaki too if he's going to blab about our abilities," the old miser mused. "And I thought he had the decency to keep his mouth shut."

The Hollow growled, remembering Kisame telling her how he died when they first met. She slashed Kakuzu down his face, completely breaking the skin from his mouth to his ear, revealing writing tendrils beneath. Despite that, it did little to slow down his own retaliatory punches. At the same time, Hidan was leaping towards her.

At this point, Halibel realized she was in a cycle of stalemate. Before she would be able to land a decisive hit on one, she had to break off and deal with the other. 'I know that I can overpower either of them up close, but if I want to take both of them out…I'll need some distance for my stronger moves.'

Kakuzu pressed the attack with Taijutsu. His extended fists pounded against Halibel's free arm as she quickly reinforced it with Hierro. Hidan slammed his scythe against Tiburon with one hand. The other repeatedly jabbed his sacrificial spike at Halibel's burned side, desperately hoping to at least get one drop of blood.

For a brief second, both Akatsuki were in Halibel's field of vision. 'Alright…let's see if this works.'

She gathered energy, and opened her mouth, yellow light gathering from her throat. "CERO!"

Hidan and Kakuzu barely had time to form a single Hand Sign…but it was enough. Not even bothering to see what the two Akatsuki had substituted themselves with, Halibel turned to see them leaping off the water and running up the wall.

"La Gota Bombardeo!" Halibel promptly sent quick blasts of water at the two. Still, they were fast enough to avoid them, managing to stay ahead of the new craters being formed in the wall.

Kakuzu quickly went through a few Hand Signs.

"Earth Style: Earth Spikes!"

This time, Hidan leaped on the biggest spike, using the momentum to come at the Hollow even faster. As he did so, she noticed something.

'Did Kakuzu put Diamonds on those spikes?!' Halibel incredulously thought as she clutched Tiburon with both hands to block her vital spots, relying on Hierro for the rest. Sure enough, the diamond-topped spikes were doing a better job of pushing Halibel's Hierro. 'If I hadn't seen it coming, that would've broken through.'

Meanwhile, Hidan had thrown his scythe into the roof, and was now using the chain to swing whichever way he pleased. He roared as he aimed his spike at Halibel's eye, hoping to take advantage of her focusing defense on Kakuzu's Jutsu.

Then, she moved just enough to evade the spike…and catch it with her teeth. Next, just as there was a gap between Kakuzu's attacks, she brought a Hierro-enhanced fist down. Hidan let go just in time to see his spike shatter from her punch. If he'd been any slower, his hand would've been gone too.

Suddenly, Kakuzu appeared right above Halibel, both masks open. "GREAT MAELSTROM!"

The attack managed to push Halibel down into the water with a loud splash, while also getting a few nasty bruise from just the force behind the combined wind and water.

"Come on Hidan," Kakuzu landed on the surface. "We need to keep her from flying again."

"REMOLINO!" Suddenly, the entire body of water began convulsing. The two Akatsuki realized that they were now standing in the middle of a whirlpool that was rapidly descending towards Halibel, who looked ready to cut the Immortal Duo to pieces once they were close enough.

In hindsight, maybe putting Halibel in the water wasn't the best tactical decision on Kakuzu's part.

Said miser quickly shot his threads towards Halibel. As she dodged, she was forced to pause in maintaining her whirlpool of death.

That gave the Immortal Duo the chance to extend their threads and scythe onto the ceiling, getting as far away from the water as possible.

With a single swing, Halibel parted the water and flew up. "Cero!" Another blast shot straight out of the cavern, making the whole island rumble.

She saw Hidan and Kakuzu split up in an attempt to flank her again.

'Kakuzu's the only one who can do long-range attacks. I probably should take him out first.'

"MAREA!"

In an instant, a massive tidal wave started careening towards the miser.

Kakuzu took a stand. His masks retaliated with another 'Great Maelstrom' as he zipped through Hand Signs. "Earth Style: Stone Wall!" With the attack weakened by his masks, the old Akatsuki was able to safely block it.

At least, he thought it was safe. Before he had a chance to follow up, Halibel appeared right beside him with Sonido…and Hidan was too far away for immediate help.

"TRIDENT!"

And just like that, the Water Mask was cleanly cut in two.

Knowing that hesitating would get him killed, Kakuzu powered through the pain. "EARTH STYLE: EARTH SPIKE!" This time, being so close, the diamond-topped spike went right through Halibel's old wound.

"HAHAHA!" Hidan gurgled out laughter from his ruined jaw. Still, he didn't deviate as he quickly licked the diamond. He didn't even care as Halibel cut one of his arms off as he jumped back. She narrowed her eyes as Hidan's skin began to turn black and white, with a pattern resembling a skeleton's. He then started drawing the symbol of Jashin on the ceiling with his own blood.

Quickly putting the pieces together, Halibel called up her Reiatsu.

"Cúpula de Agua!"

Before Hidan could finish, the water roared as it rushed up the walls. Eventually, there was no dry surface left, meaning that Hidan's attempted circle was being washed away by the water. The Jashinist had to leap away and use Chakra to keep from sinking. Now, the three fighters were in a dome of air as the water swirled at the edge.

"As long as there's nowhere to draw your circle…your ritual is useless, no matter how much blood you take from me," Halibel shot a satisfied smirk at the two Akatsuki, who were clearly unnerved at their trump card being nullified.

'Still…I won't be able to use my water for anything else while keeping this up. Meaning I'll have to rely on Tiburon or my energy blasts.'

With no other choice, the one-armed Hidan and the one-Masked Kakuzu zoomed at her with Body Flicker.

OoOoOoO

Outside, Emerald and Compress had finally emerged from the tunnel, running and weaving through the last of Gustave's minions. As Emerald provided cover fire, Compress brought out another marble. With a toss and snap, that marble had unfurled into a miniature-speedboat, already pointed in the direction of the Queen Anne's Revenge. Just as the two thieves were about to depart…

"Thunderbolt Tempo!" their path to the speedboat was blocked off. Compress dashed off to the side, throwing more marbles that expanded into knives. Nami was not amused as she deflected them with her Clima-Tact.

Elsewhere, Emerald had been sucker-punched with a 'Fishman Karate: 1000 Brick Roundhouse Kick!" She desperately retaliated by unloading the Fire Dust cartridges in Thief's Respite, forcing Tsuyu to jump back. Then, she altered Thief's Respite into its Kusarigama form. Running forward, Tsuyu kept up a constant barrage of '500 Brick Fists' that managed to match the blades.

Further back, Apacci, Brook, and Silver were focusing on the final few dozen animals. All three were panting after having already gone through hundreds. Juvia fell to a knee as she finally released her hold on the water, letting it safely flow to the ocean. Hanataro did a quick run-over as he applied Hisagomaru to the Fairy Tail Wizard.

Then, "COOO!" What appeared to be a small, misshapen missile crashed onto the beach. After a second of silence, Hattori and Jack tried to crawl out of their self-made crater. But before they could,

"Flanchet Strike!"

"CRASH!"

Youpi fell right on top of them, crying out in pain as he clutched his severely burned chest. While it was regenerating, the process had slowed down due to his own fatigue from facing Sanji and Mira for almost an hour. He moved to retaliate…

"Garra de la Pantera!"

"GAH!"

Until Lucci crashed into Youpi. And poor Jack and Hattori were still at the bottom.

"Damn it!" the Chimera Ant cried out in frustration. At this point, both Lucci and Youpi finally got a good look at how depleted their forces had become. On top of that, the last remains of their ship were sinking out to the horizon.

Both roared in fury as they got up. Now, they had nothing to lose. But before they got back to the action, Lucci paused. He scooped up Hattori, gently placing him in his pocket. Then, he saw the Medallion hanging out of Jack's little coat.

"RAH!" But Lucci was unable to get it on account of a charging Grimmjow.

"Black Iron Body!" The assassin managed to coat his chest with Haki in time to stop the angry Arrancar.

As leopard and panther resumed their clash, Youpi regrew wings. At the same time, he elongated the blade serving as a replacement for his right arm. With that, he flew right back at Sanji. "RAGE INCARNATE!"

His left shoulder's amoebic sac fired pure energy.

"Soul Extinctor!"

The clash of Magic and Nen canceled itself out, which allowed Sanji to speed forward with Sky Walk.

High above the others, Sanji's kick matched Youpi's punch, sending out a small shockwave to the rest of the crew.

OoOoOoO

Hidan and Kakuzu roared with rage as they appeared by Halibel in an instant. Their scythe and fists were humming with Chakra. The mere idea of someone beating both of them combined was so infuriating and humiliating that they were channeling everything they had left.

They were coming with such speed and strength that Halibel was forced on the defensive. Her Tiburon became a whirl of white as it matched both scythe and fists. The clanging and scratching of metal boomed throughout the air dome.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes as his Wind Mask opened. "Wind Style: Pressure Damage Barrage!"

With Tiburon occupied, Halibel was forced to take the blasts. While Hierro helped, she was starting to get visibly injured. Small chunks were being flayed off her sides, while cuts and bruises popped up all over her body.

Hidan, despite taking a similar brunt of the Jutsu, didn't let up in the least. In fact, he seemed to be slashing it faster.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Halibel slowly backed up, her feet skidding across the surface of the water. Scythe and blackened fist clashed against her Tiburon. She roared with exertion as she pushed both Ninjas back, incidentally putting a pause in the Jutsu. Then, she just unloaded Balas, not even a millisecond between the blasts. Kakuzu crossed his Iron-Skinned arms, while Hidan used his Chakra-enhanced scythe to block. The space between the opponents was filled with so many Balas that it looked like a stream of pure gold to onlookers.

With how intense the barrage was, both Akatsuki were starting to get burned from the sheer number of Bala.

"DAMN YOU!" Kakuzu bellowed as the Wind Mask dislocated its jaw. "WIND STYLE: GREAT BREACH!"

The old Akatsuki had put more Chakra in that attack than usual, managing to stop the Balas and slam Halibel back to the edge of her water dome.

The opening was that Hidan needed. He appeared with Body Flicker by the stunned Hollow, and left a heavy slash across her left breast and stomach. His scythe was humming with the Chakra he'd been subconsciously pumping into it, ironically echoing the man who'd first decapitated him.

"GAH!" Halibel cried out in pain. Unusually, Hidan didn't laugh or cheer like he normally would. Instead, he simply brought the scythe back for a killing blow, his eyes wild and bloodshot. He was done messing around.

Suddenly, Halibel dragged her free hand across her gaping wound.

"GRAN REY CERO!"

Too late, Hidan tried to jump. But it was point-blank.

"AARRRGGGHHH!"

When the smoke cleared, Hidan fell into the water and started sinking. Since his legs had been at the front of that blast, all the flesh from those limbs had been utterly incinerated. Only the bones remained. As for his upper body and head, they'd been burned beyond recognition. His eyes were blank and wide-open. His mouth opened in a silent scream. The pain had been enough to knock him out, considering a Gran Rey Cero was FAR worse than anything he endured in the Ninja World. And even if Hidan woke up anytime soon, the Mad Priest was finished.

Halibel panted, the water dome collapsing around her. The sheer effort of maintaining it proved too much. Besides, there was no need now that Hidan was down.

Suddenly, Kakuzu appeared in front of Halibel. Before she could react, he grabbed both her wrists and pushed her into the now-dry wall, the water now receded into a floor beneath them. The diamonds and gems proliferated her back with numerous cuts. At the same time, threads shot out of the old Akatsuki's chest, diving into Halibel's open stomach.

The Hollow screamed in agony. Kakuzu narrowed his eyes as he sadistically wiggled the threads in the gash.

"GAH!" Halibel clenched her jaw, giving an utterly disdainful look at the Akatsuki. "You let Hidan take the fall. You knew I'd damage him beyond repair."

"So what?" Kakuzu glowered at the Hollow. "He can heal himself given time. And besides, he'll be over the moon at seeing your corpse."

"Is your idea of sacrifice simply letting others take the fall?" Halibel spat at Kakuzu. "You disgust me."

The old Akatsuki shouted in rage, his Wind Mask taking a cheap shot at Halibel's knee, earning a hiss of pain as it bent completely backwards. "Don't you dare talk to me about sacrifice!"

He tightened his grip on her wrists, that infamous temper of his starting to finally let loose. "Sacrifice earned me NOTHING! I gave everything I had for my Village, only to get strung up and crucified as a scapegoat! Sacrifice for the sake of others is nothing but a pipe dream of weak fools!"

Halibel remained unflinching, sending Kakuzu even further over the edge. He sent more threads into her wound. Now, some were reaching into her ribcage.

Then, Kakuzu gave a deranged grin. "You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to take your heart now. And I'm going to use it to destroy Hoshigaki, that damned Fishman, that little Hollow girl, and EVERYONE THAT YOU CARE ABOUT ON THIS ISLAND! THEN WE'LL SEE HOW MUCH YOUR 'SACRIFICE' MEANS TO THEM!"

Halibel bared her teeth at Kakuzu. For the first time since coming to the Sea of Second Chances, she'd found an opponent she truly and utterly hated. The mere idea of her power being used by this greedy creature on her friends got her blood boiling.

Still, she didn't lose focus. On the contrary, it became sharper than ever. For instance, she noticed how both she and Kakuzu were now standing on the stabilizing-surface of the rising water. So, she moved a few fingers, powering through Kakuzu's grip.

"HIRVIENDO!"

"GAH!"

The now-boiling water had completely burned Kakuzu's feet, meaning that he lost his balance and stumbled back. It was just enough for Halibel break her hands free, and slash Tiburon, severing Kakuzu from the threads in her chest. Not done, she kicked the old Akatsuki in his right side, shattering his ribs from the sheer force. He was sent flying into the wall, slamming hard enough to make a crater.

"Kakuzu. I am done talking to you," Halibel growled as she held up Tiburon. The golden Reiatsu surrounding it looked like a death sentence.

"CERO CRECIENTE!"

"WHOOM!" Pure golden Reiatsu in the shape of an arc flew forward.

Kakuzu screamed in pain.

OoOoOoO

Outside, the last few combatants paused as the island began to rumble. Then, the entire top half of the island completely fell apart in a flash of golden light. When the dust cleared, everyone could see the inside. Whatever water hadn't been vaporized by the Cero poured out now that it was no longer trapped by the cavern's walls.

"The hell?!" Emerald's eyes widened at the sheer power. 'That blast could've killed anyone from my world. And it was ONE PERSON. I can't believe how strong the other worlds are," she couldn't help but think. She had the luxury due to Tsuyu pausing in awe.

Compress had similar thoughts. "My word…not since the fight between All Might and All for One have I felt such power. Truly, tis a battle of monsters." Unfortunately for him, his opponent wasn't nearly as distracted.

"Gust Sword!"

Nami had managed to sneak her way to his side, making her attack point-blank.

"URGH!"

Compress went down, a marble rolling out of one pocket. In a flash, his Quirk had been undone on it. Now, the Aztec chest was now sitting on the beach, not looking any worse for wear.

"NO!" Compress attempted to reach for it, but Nami slammed her Clima-Tact hard enough on his hand to crack a bone. Naturally, he gasped in pain.

"DAMN IT, COMPRESS!" Emerald yelled, being forced to divide her fire between Tsu and Hanataro, who were both running towards her as they dodged the bullets.

The Semblance User didn't last long, since Apacci had appeared right behind her with Sonido. "Can it!" The Hollow karate-chopped Emerald in the back, flooring her.

Further down shore, Lucci and Youpi had been driven back-to-back. Grimmjow, Sanji, and Mira had surrounded them.

At the same time, Brook, Juvia, and Silver had mostly finished off Gustave's minions. Only a single Seer Grimm remained, its jellyfish-like form floating further off into the water.

OoOoOoO

Halibel watched as the energy dissipated, and the cavern fell around her. Exhausted, she panted and tried to collect herself. She barely held her Resurreción together, knowing there was more to be done.

"SPLAT!" Kakuzu had fallen and lay prostrate on the floor. The Wind Mask's remains were little more than dust. His Iron Skin shattered. Halibel's attack had left a huge gash across his chest. She could see his final heart beating weakly. The only reason it was still barely functional was the old Akatsuki using the Wind Mask as a shield, while putting the last of his Chakra into Iron Skin.

But even that wasn't enough to stop the damage. Now, Kakuzu could do little but move his head and give a look of outright hatred to Halibel.

In the meantime, she'd found the unconscious Hidan. Wanting to finish things quick, Halibel used Sonido, grabbed Hidan his last limb, and Sonido'd back. She slammed Hidan down on Kakuzu hard enough to break more bones, earning an agonized cry, and took a few steps back.

"I'm impressed you survived that one," Halibel knelt down and raised her hand, bolstering it with Hierro. She aimed it at Kakuzu's last heart and Hidan's head. "I won't miss this time."

Her flattened fingers came down.

But before she could lay the finishing blow, something happened. An absolutely gargantuan burst of power and energy erupted behind her, and an inhuman scream rose with it. Halibel had grab and steady herself, driven to her hands and knees. In her exhausted state, she was unable to even stand up against such power. She scowled as she saw both Hidan and Kakuzu's bodies get flung out into the open ocean by the sheer force, neither having any strength left to fight it.

At least, she scowled until she remembered which way that blast came from. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight she saw.

OoOoOoO

(Earlier)

Kisame and Jinbe were beginning to pant. The struggle with Tamatoa and Gustave hadn't slowed down when they'd been submerged. On the plus side, the two monsters were seemingly just as tired, and not adverse to landing blows on the other.

The giant crab had swung one claw at Jinbe, who ducked and rolled with the swipe. Now, he was able to hit the joint linking claw and arm. The Straw Hat quickly added Haki to his attack. "Fishman Karate: Black Vagabond Drill!"

"CRUNCH! AAGH!" Jinbe's aim was true, and Tamatoa's right claw fell down, now useless to its owner.

At the same time, Kisame was weaving in between Gustave's mighty blows. "Ooh…you almost hit me that time."

The crocodile-man was not amused in the least. "Cease your inane taunts!" Gustave bellowed as he came down for another swing. This punch actually managed to crack the bones in Kisame's left arm as the Ninja was slammed into the wall, debris briefly covering him from view.

Gustave quickly ran over and successfully snapped 'Kisame' in two with his jaws, but growled as the Water Clone dispersed.

From beneath the earth, Kisame swung Samehada one-handed, and managed to get one spike into the wound Jinbe opened up earlier.

"AHH!"

"Well, Samehada says you taste nasty, but a meal's a meal," Kisame smirked as he healed.

"What'd you do to me?" the incredulous crocodile asked, realizing that he was more fatigued than he should be.

Kisame simply grinned. This agitated Gustave enough for him to roar and begin a charge.

But all four combatants paused as Halibel's defeat of Kakuzu shook the whole island. Oddly enough, Kisame was laughing his head off as the water receded away from the four.

Gustave tried bringing his fist down on the seemingly distracted Ninja.

"Black Shark Brick Fist!" Only for Jinbe to knock him into the wall. Before he could chastise Kisame, his attention was drawn back to the giant crab limping at him. Tamatoa managed to speed up his strike, leaving a nasty gash before Jinbe finished covering his side in Haki.

Kisame ran to the downed Gustave. Before the crocodile-man could react, the former Akatsuki slashed Samehada across his chest, tearing off even more scales once the spikes had gotten into the old wound.

"GAH!" Gustave roared in pain, and his sight briefly wandered. With the cavern nearly collapsed, he was able to see outside. Lucci and Youpi were surrounded. All his underlings were dead. Jackal and his ship were gone. And the chest had seemingly been secured by the Cutty Sark crew on the speedboat.

"NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO! Gustave gave an almighty bellow.

Then, he opened his mind.

"Lord Cipactli, I have failed thee. I see only one recourse for securing your victory and I know what I must do," the 'mental' Gustave knelt before over 20 slit green eyes.

"Take control of my body. Let me channel your awesome power, so that you may take the chest and crush these interferers."

The eyes narrowed, and a deep voice echoed. "Gustave, you know the cost of me doing such a thing. Your mind and body won't be able to handle the strain of my active presence. Even if I am able to defeat these others in time to preserve your body, your mind would only be that of a wild crocodile's once again."

Gustave bowed his head. "I'm willing to pay that price for thee. You've given me a higher purpose. This is the only way I have left to work towards that purpose."

Memories swelled through Gustave's mind. His near-century on Earth as a simple predator. Being found and given direction by Cipactli's noble goal. He mused that the only times of true happiness were when receiving his praise.

Cipactli made a sound resembling a sigh. "Sacrificing everything I've given you for my sake. You truly were a wonderful follower. I thank thee, Gustave."

"Your thanks was all I ever wanted," Gustave smiled as his 'mental' self faded away.

In the real world, Gustave opened his eyes, revealing that they had changed into dark green slits.

"RRRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Waves of similarly colored energy emanated from the crocodile-man. At the same time, he was reverting back to his pure crocodile form.

At least, that was how it seemed. But his limbs weren't shrinking down to proportion. In fact, they were growing to the proportion of a massive man. The jaw, claws, and scales still remained as imposing as ever.

At the beach, Lucci and Youpi trembled at the overwhelming power, for they knew it well. Most of the Cutty Sark crew had been driven to their knees from it. Only Grimmjow and Sanji were able to remaining standing.

Kisame and Jinbe both stepped back, having only felt this kind of power a handful of times…and it was never good.

Suddenly panicking, Tamatoa scuttled forward in an attempt to stop the transformation. With all his strength, he brought down his mighty pincer.

With one clawed hand, 'Gustave' stopped it with a single hand, not exerting any effort.

"Child of Tiamat!" A voice decidedly NOT Gustave's resonated down to all the onlookers' very souls. As it spoke, this 'thing' clenched his fist, completely shattering the claw.

Now, for the first time since waking up in the Sea of Second Chances, Tamatoa was afraid.

Before anyone else could blink, 'Gustave' had grabbed Tamatoa by the throat.

"What the…how'd he get so fast?!" Kisame had a far more serious expression than usual.

"Ci…Cipactli," Tamatoa stammered out while the life was being choked out of him.

The Fishman froze in horror at the name.

"Yes, child of Tiamat. You have hoarded that which is mine. Your pride and hindrance have deprived me of a good and loyal servant," Cipactli spoke through Gustave as he lifted up Tamatoa. "You and your progenitor have broken a sacred vow between the 'Gods of the Sea'. And now, you'll serve as a example."

Disdainfully, Cipactli threw Tamatoa into the air, with force strong enough to lift the giant crab several hundred meters.

Tamatoa screamed as he fell back to earth.

Cipactli simply brought both his fists back.

"BAM!"

With one, the God of the Sea completely shattered the crab's shell.

"CRUNCH!"

With the other, Cipactli punched Tamatoa's head clean off his neck. The mighty native of Lalotai was dead in an instant.

The entire island went completely silent. Then, the possessed crocodile abomination turned to Kisame and Jinbe.

"To everyone listening," Cipactli's voice thrummed across everyone's ears. "Stand aside. Now."

For a moment, the Cutty Sark crew looked like it would buckle under the weight of his voice. But no one faltered. In fact, everyone clutched their weapons even tighter.

Jinbe simply brought both fists up, while Kisame held Samehada at the ready.

"Very well then," Cipactli smirked. At the very least, he was impressed with their resolve.

Then he charged. Due to their own injuries and exhaustion from fighting Tamatoa, Gustave, and everyone else who'd come, Kisame and Jinbe were just slightly slower to respond.

Cipactli vanished and reappeared behind the two. He grabbed both their heads, and slammed them onto the ground with enough force to turn most the island into a crater. Only the beach remained level.

KISAME! JINBE!" Halibel cried out to her friends. Good news, the two were still conscious and struggling against Cipactli's grip, despite the ridiculous strength pinning them down. Bad news, Cipactli wasn't letting go.

"Now then," Cipactli's glanced at Halibel, his eyes turning to see the rest of the crew. "Shall we begin?"

A.N. Well…I'm just pumping out cliffhangers, aren't I? But yes, the time has come for our Heroes to see the might of a God of the Sea. Granted, Cipactli won't be able to use his more 'unusual' abilities through Gustave, or channel his full strength…but consider this a sign of things to come.

Now, I really enjoyed Halibel vs. the Zombie Combo. Think this might be her first solo fight in this fic. Granted, I might've made things a little brutal, but that's the first thing to come to mind with any fight concerning Hidan and Kakuzu. And yeah I hope Halibel's victory made sense to y'all. I also had fun expanding on Halibel's abilities…with the help of Google Translate of course. As for the Zombies themselves, it was interesting having opponents that Halibel would despise. And yes, Hidan and Kakuzu are still alive. I'm not done with them just yet.

Alrighty, how about an Omake to lighten the mood?

Omake: Research?

Jiraiya, Rangiku, and Cana had just docked their humble vessel. For awhile, they'd been asking around about their old comrades. After hours, they'd come up with nothing concrete. Only rumors of 'strange powers'.

Trying to keep the mood up, Jiraiya looked for something fun to occupy themselves. Then, as if by divine message, he saw a banner.

"HOT SPRINGS! Rejuvenate, refresh, and rest! Half Price for groups of three or more! Limited Time only! NOW WITH COMPLIMENTARY MASSAGES AND BEVERAGES!"

"Oh Ladies!" Jiraiya turned their heads to the poster. It took a second, but both of them started to brighten as comprehension dawned.

"Aww man," Rangiku rubbed her back. "That sounds like heaven. My back's killing me."

Cana and Jiraiya smirked, having a good idea the two reasons for that.

"Count me in!" The Wizard waved a now-empty wine bottle.

"Alrighty…it's on me!" Jiraiya boisterously declared, much to their joy.

In a few minutes, they'd made it. Without further ado, they were escorted in. The massages were heavenly, and the drinks were exquisite enough for even Cana to slow down and savor it.

Next, the three were headed to the mixed bathing. But then, all three stopped in their tracks. A incredibly gorgeous woman made her way to the private Women's Hot Springs, shutting the entrance behind her.

Now normally, Cana and Rangiku would've restrained Jiraiya. But with this woman, they now had the sudden urge to see what this 'perfect specimen' was really packing.

Giggling to himself, Jiraiya led the way to the fence. By one peephole, a small statue was looking in. It had balls in place of hair, and was wearing a mask, small cape, and what appeared to be something resembling a diaper.

"Eesh…garden gnomes get uglier every year," Cana cringed before getting back on track.

There were three convenient peepholes, and Jiraiya lined up. In an instant, he was giggling and writing down some 'research' notes.

Amused, Rangiku peeked. "Wow, even under all the clothes, she's all that."

Very curious now, Cana shrugged before joining in. "Whoa…that's the most perfect ass I've ever seen," she slurred.

Then, before they could react…

"LOVE-LOVE BEAM!"

Three new lecherous statues graced the garden.

"Hmm," a unbelievably haughty voice mused. "Truly, my indescribable body is a curse to attract so many. It seems that even in this new world, I'm still the most beautiful of all."

Boa Hancock brought her head back in that signature stance of hers, looking so far down on the 'peepers' that she was looking up.

Far away, Tsunade sneezed. "Why did I feel the need to punch someone just now?"